Smaller class sizes benefit students says union

The Queensland Teachers Union (QTU) has dismissed a report by an independent think-tank that has found reducing class sizes does not improve students' performance.

The review by the Grattan Institute says when class sizes were reduced between 1995 and 2006 students fell behind in some subjects.

QTU president Steve Ryan says that is not the case across the board.

"We have certainly seen in some of our low socioeconomic schools at the moment for example that decision taken around reducing class sizes have been extremely beneficial," he said.

"Regardless of what some research might be showing, the majority of research obviously indicates that smaller class sizes will benefit children so that teachers can concentrate on the particular issues that children have."

Since the airing of the gut-wrenching documentary Leaving Neverland, many of us have wrestled with an uncomfortable, yet essential question: given everything we know, can we continue listening to Michael Jackson's music?